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Frydenlund retires from teaching Tae Kwon Do

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In this 2008 photo, Eric Frydenlund, center, stands with two of his students, Holly Tanner and Jim Smith, when Holly and Jim successfully completed their tests in Madison to earn their first degree black belts.

 

Local instructor retires from teaching Tae Kwon Do

By Ted Pennekamp

 

After 38 great years, Prairie du Chien Tae Kwon Do instructor Eric Frydenlund is retiring from teaching the sport he loves. Eric said, however, he will continue to enjoy participating in Tae Kwon Do, which he learned not only as a sport, but a way of life. 

“Tae Kwon Do has been so good to me,” said Eric. “It will stay with me for the rest of my life.” 

Eric said he first became interested in Tae Kwon Do (TKD) when he saw his college roommate George Bently practicing a martial art when Eric and George were students at the University of Wisconsin. “He had exceptionally fast hands and I was impressed,” said Eric. “That’s when I first thought about learning a martial art.”

In 1972, Eric became a student at the Madison Tae Kwon Do School whose headmaster was Master and Dr. Jae Bock Chung, who is now a ninth degree black belt and a Grand Master. 

Eric is now a third degree black belt. He explained that TKD students go through several stages as they become more proficient including no belt, white belt, yellow belt, green belt, purple belt, brown belt and finally black belt with all of its increasing degrees. Eric said that it took him five years to earn his first degree black belt.

In 1977, Eric returned to his home town of Prairie du Chien and formed the Prairie du Chien Tae Kwon Do Club. The club was originally at two locations on Blackhawk Avenue, where Eric taught students four nights per week. The club later moved to the River City Roller Rink where classes were held for 20 years. The Prairie du Chien Tae Kwon Do Club is now at Hoffman Hall and students will continue under the instruction of four first degree black belts including ranking black belt Jim Welsch, Jim Smith, Holly Tanner and Rick Bartels. 

“We hardly had to advertise,” said Eric who had about 30 students at any given time. “The martial arts were very popular in the 1970s and 80s because of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris and later, ‘The Karate Kid’ movies.”

Eric said that he taught hundreds of students over the years, some of whom had children who became TKD students as well. The Prairie du  Chien Tae Kwon Do Club has produced about eight to 10 black belts in its 38 years.

“Getting your black belt takes a tremendous amount of dedication,” said Eric who noted that a brown belt is about half way to earning a black belt. “A brown belt is like an apprenticeship to a black belt,” he said.

Over the years, Eric has participated in several non-contact competitions in sparring and forms in Madison, New York City, Omaha, Neb., St. Louis, Mo. and Louisville, Ken. Eric explained that in sparring, participants score points when they deliver a punch or a kick with potential lethal force. In recent years, Eric competed in the Senior Division.

Many students of the Prairie du Chien Tae Kwon Do Club have competed in the annual tournament in Madison, which is considered the home tournament. The club has also given demonstrations at various locations in the Prairie du Chien area.

“Tae Kwon Do is great exercise because you’re using all parts of your body, and you’re using your mind as well,” said Eric about the benefits of the sport. “There are four primary aspects of TKD; speed, power, balance and focus. Focus is the glue that holds all of the others together. You can be focused with your eyes closed.”

“Tae Kwon Do vastly increased my confidence,” Eric said. “The benefits of TKD carry over into everyday life.” Eric noted that Tae Kwon Do originated in Korea more than 2,000 years ago and traditional Tae Kwon Do schools continue to place much emphasis on how the mind and body work together. 

In addition to self-defense and exercise, the many benefits of TKD include coordination, body control, self-confidence, discipline, relaxation and calmness, weight control, muscle tone, poise and grace, greater control of thoughts and actions, better reflexes and maturity.

Eric credits the benefits of TKD for saving his life a couple of times when increased reflexes and calmness allowed him to calmly correct his sliding car to avoid an accident.

“Tae Kwon Do is one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself,” Eric said. “The most rewarding part of teaching is watching my students grow as people — kids getting more confidence and doing better in school, adults achieving their goals, students getting their black belts after years of training. It all makes me very proud!”

Eric’s family will be throwing a retirement party in early 2016 and hope to see all of his current and former students. More details will be forthcoming.

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